Many facilities, such as restaurants, industrial facilities, and the like, employ equipment which require the discharge of high volumes of grease and oils through interior or exterior equipment, such as, for example, roof-mounted discharge vents. The discharged grease may accumulate on the roof or other surfaces and cause deterioration of the roofing or surface materials surrounding the grease discharge vent or other equipment associated with the vent installation. In the case of roofing materials, they are typically metal, synthetic, or organic materials which may deteriorate rapidly when exposed to grease. It has been known to position various types of grease containment assemblies around the discharge vent to trap and collect the grease discharged from the discharge vent or other equipment. However, there is a need for an effluent containment assembly that absorbs and traps greases and oils in a manner more efficient than the prior grease containment assemblies and in larger amounts than the prior containment assemblies. There is also a need for an effluent containment assembly that can be positioned relative to the equipment quickly and easily and, if desired, in an elevated manner.
Efforts have been made to develop devices and systems for collecting the discharge grease, such as, for example, the grease trap and filter apparatuses disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,196,040; 5,318,607 and 5,512,073. The present invention, however, improves upon these prior grease trap and filter devices by providing a containment apparatus that provides many benefits over these prior devices.
In this regard, it is an object of the present invention to provide a containment assembly for collecting a large volume of grease, oils, residue or other effluent in an efficient manner.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an effluent containment assembly that includes a frame assembly that securely receives the effluent filtering and trapping materials and that is relatively easy to assembly and cost effective to manufacture.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a effluent containment assembly that can be secured to a ventilation equipment or other equipment discharging the effluent at an elevation relatively quickly and easily.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a effluent containment assembly that allows for convenient removal of the filtering and trapping materials from the frame assembly for periodic replacement without requiring disassembly of the frame structure.